Guaranty Trust Bank (GTBank) customers in Lagos have expressed frustration over difficulties in accessing their accounts and completing transactions following a recent system upgrade. Speaking with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday, several customers shared their experiences at various branches of the bank, including those located at Victoria Island, Costain, Bode Thomas, and Allen Avenue. Despite banking activities continuing at these branches, some customers still faced challenges, though a few ATMs were dispensing cash.
The service disruptions began after the bank announced plans to upgrade its Core Banking Application to an enhanced version of the Finacle Core Banking system. As part of this transition, all GTBank branches nationwide closed early at 12:00 pm on Friday, October 11, with reopening scheduled for 9:00 am on Monday, October 14. Customers were also informed that digital banking services would be unavailable for 11 hours, from 10:00 pm on Sunday, October 13, until 9:00 am on Monday, October 14.
While GTBank assured customers that essential services such as transfers, bill payments, and airtime purchases would remain available during the upgrade, many customers reported difficulties accessing these services.
Miss Tolulope Ogundeji, a customer, told NAN she had been unable to perform transactions for four days due to the system upgrade but was reassured by the bank that things were improving. “I just left the GTBank branch at VI near Eko Hotel, and they told me the system is gradually coming back online,” she said.
Similarly, Basira Lawal, a foodstuffs trader in Dopemu, expressed her frustration, explaining that she had been selling on credit as her customers with GTBank accounts were unable to make payments via digital platforms.
Another customer, civil servant Ayodele Emmanuel, shared his struggles with the bank’s app, which had been inconsistent. “The app has been unreliable, and it’s stressful trying to transfer money right now, but I’m hopeful things will soon return to normal,” Emmanuel said, acknowledging the bank’s ongoing system upgrade.
Olawaiye Gabriel, another civil servant, explained that while he successfully completed a transfer on Saturday, subsequent attempts had failed.
At the Bode Thomas branch in Surulere, a customer who had issues with an ATM transfer was able to complete the transaction over the counter with the help of customer service. Meanwhile, an ATM user at the Costain branch expressed relief after finally withdrawing cash following several unsuccessful attempts. “I’ve been trying since Thursday, and I finally managed to withdraw money this morning. The weekend was tough because nothing worked,” he shared.
In Abule Egba, a 70-year-old woman, Oluwunmi Adesegun, went to the bank after being unable to use her debit card or access the USSD code for days. “When I got to the bank, I found a crowd, and we had to queue. After waiting for hours, I was told I could only withdraw ₦10,000 over the counter,” she said, adding that many customers rushed to a nearby PoS operator to get more cash.
On Monday night, GTBank announced the successful completion of the system transition, assuring customers that all branches would remain open until 6:00 pm that day. In a message sent to customers, the bank stated: “We are pleased to inform you that we have successfully transitioned to a new and robust suite of Finacle Core Banking Application Systems, and all our branches will be open till 6:00 pm today to serve you.”
The bank thanked its customers for their patience during the upgrade and provided a list of available channels for further inquiries.
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